25 December 2009, 20:49
Passenger 'Tries To Blow Up' U.S. Plane
The White House says an incident involving a small explosion on an airliner was an attempted act of terrorism.

A U.S. intelligence official said the passenger who ignited a "powdery substance" on the Delta Airlines flight was trying to blow up the plane.

The flight was arriving at Detroit's Metropolitan Airport when the incident took place.

A number of passengers received minor injuries, including the person responsible for the incident.

The suspect, who suffered second-degree burns, reportedly told federal investigators that he was directed by al Qaeda.
The White House says President Obama, who is on holiday in Hawaii, is "actively monitoring" the situation.

Al Qaeda Underpant Bomber: NorthWest Flight 253 to Detroit

Obama spoke by conference call with national security advisers, and then "instructed that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," White House spokesman Bill Burton said.

Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott said the suspect was subdued immediately.

I wonder what new security measures they will want to impose following this. Obviously all the usual security checks at the Aiprort (Schipol?)failed. No sherbert, no talc ,no matches no lighters. Wonder if the guy was heating a line of crack._________________JO911B.
"for we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this world, against wicked spirits in high places " Eph.6 v 12

An incident on an airliner arriving in the US city of Detroit from Amsterdam in the Netherlands was a failed bomb attack, senior US officials say.

Sources say a man burnt his leg trying to ignite explosives on the jet, which had 278 passengers and 11 crew aboard, but nobody else was seriously hurt.

In custody, the Nigerian suspect said he had been acting on behalf of al-Qaeda, a police source said.

President Barack Obama has ordered increased security for air travel.

Passengers from the flight described what they saw during the incident

The White House spokesman Bill Burton said the president was monitoring the situation.

Northwest Airlines Flight 253 had been about 20 minutes away from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday afternoon when the incident occurred.

Reports quote officials as saying the suspect seems to have tried to ignite some kind of incendiary device.

Melinda Dennis, a passenger, said the man had been severely burned on one leg, and a fire extinguisher and water were used to put out the fire.

Another passenger, Syed Jafri, said he had been seated three rows behind the suspect and had seen a glow and noticed a smoke smell.

Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him".

"Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic," Mr Jafri added.

As the suspect was being tackled, he was reportedly shouting and a passenger said she had heard the word "Afghanistan".

'Taped to his leg'

Another unnamed passenger heard a "little pop", then saw "a bit of a smoke and then some flames".

A robot, followed by an official, approaches the airliner as it stands at Detroit airport
A robot could be seen examining the plane with an official nearby

After "yelling and screaming", the passenger added, "they took him out and it was really quick".

The suspect later told the US authorities he had had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion, the ABC television network reports.

A US intelligence official quoted by AP said an explosive device had been used consisting of a "mix of powder and liquid".

Peter King, who sits on the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said the suspect had third-degree burns.

The New York Republican named the detainee as Abdul Mudallad, 23, a Nigerian national whose name, he said, was in a database indicating "a significant terrorist connection" although it did not appear on a "no-fly" list.

Mr Mutallab, whose name was given elsewhere as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, reportedly told investigators he had links to al-Qaeda and had received the explosives in Yemen.

According to some US and Dutch media reports, he is a student at University College London.

Mr King also said investigators were looking into whether the incident was part of a larger plot and a "worldwide alert" had been raised.

The Department of Homeland Security said "additional screening measures" had been put into effect since the incident.

At least one passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor.

Susan Elliott, a spokeswoman for Delta, Northwest's parent company, said the airline was co-operating with the investigation.

AIRLINE TERROR PLOTS

1995: Al-Qaeda plots to blow up US airliners over the Pacific in "Operation Bojinka"

2001: Briton Richard Reid tries to blow up a Paris-Miami flight with 197 people on board using explosives hidden in his shoes

2006: Police in Britain foil a series of attacks on transatlantic flights using liquid bombs disguised as soft drinks

Romulus, Michigan (CNN) -- A Nigerian man is "talking a lot" to the FBI, said a senior U.S. official, after what the United States believes was an attempted terrorist attack on an inbound international flight.

The initial impression is that the suspect was acting alone and did not have any formal connections to organized terrorist groups, said the senior official who is familiar with the investigation.

The suspect, identified by a U.S. government official as 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, ignited a small explosive device Friday, shortly before a Northwest flight from Amsterdam, Netherlands, made its landing in Detroit, Michigan.

With the aid of the cabin crew, another passenger quickly helped subdue and isolate Abdulmutallab, passenger Syed Jafry told CNN.

Abdulmutallab, was placed in custody and is being treated for second- and third-degree burns on his thighs, according to federal law enforcement and airline security sources.

The sources told CNN that the suspect flew into Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on a KLM flight from Lagos, Nigeria, and is not believed to be on any "no fly" list, although his name does appear in a U.S. database of people with suspect connections. He did not undergo secondary security screening in Amsterdam, an administration official said.

The administration official said there was no evidence that Abdulmutallab was a hard-core, trained member of al-Qaeda.

Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian national, claimed to have extremist ties and said the explosive device "was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used," a federal security bulletin obtained by CNN said.

The remains of the device used are being sent to an FBI explosives lab in Quantico, Virginia, for analysis, security sources said.

U.S. President Barack Obama, who is spending the holidays in his home state of Hawaii, was briefed on the incident during a secure phone call with aides, and instructed in a subsequent discussion with security advisers "that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel," White House spokesman Bill Burton told CNN. The president made no changes to his schedule, Burton said.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Friday saying that air passengers "may notice additional screening measures put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights."

Passengers described the brief moments of panic on board, as screams erupted and flight attendants ran for fire extinguishers.

Jafry, who was sitting in seat 16G, said the plane was just beginning to descend when passengers heard a pop.

"Everybody got a little bit startled," he said. "After a few seconds or so ... there was ... kind of a flamish light and there was fire" and people around the immediate area began to panic.

One woman told CNN affiliate WDIV that a man threw a blanket over Abdulmutallab's legs to help put out the small fire.

"It was terrifying," Richelle Keepman said. "I think we all thought we weren't going to land, we weren't going to make it."

Passenger Elias Fawaz told WDIV that the explosion sounded "like a balloon being popped" and said he could smell smoke.

Jafry said the incident was under control within minutes, crediting the crew and nearby passengers for the rapid response.

One person was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said.

"All passengers have deplaned and out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area," where the plane and baggage were rescreened, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement. Passengers were interviewed by law enforcement authorities before being allowed to leave the airport.

No other suspicious materials were found on the plane or in luggage, the law enforcement and airline security sources said. The suspect had only carry-on luggage.

Another passenger on the Northwest flight transferred from the same KLM flight in Amsterdam but officials found no connection between the two, the sources said.

The plane, an Airbus 330, landed shortly before noon ET. It was carrying 278 passengers.

A Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane Friday as it was preparing to land in Detroit, but travelers who smelled smoke and heard what sounded like firecrackers rushed to subdue him, the passengers and federal officials said.
Northwest Airlines Flight 253...

Flight 253 with 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard was about 20 minutes from the airport when passengers heard popping noises, witnesses said. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man. Shortly afterward, the suspect was taken to the front of the plane with his pants cut off and his legs burned, a passenger said.

One US intelligence official said the explosive device was a mix of powder and liquid. It failed when the passenger tried to detonate it.

"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a traveler from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke."

Smith said a passenger sitting opposite the man climbed over people, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. Syed Jafri, another passenger, said he saw a glow and smelled smoke. Then, he said, "a young man behind me jumped on him."

"Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic," said Jafri. Smith said the heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. It did not specify what those were.

The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers. Reid is serving a life sentence.

Law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. One law enforcement official said the man claimed to have been instructed by al-Qaida to detonate the plane over US soil. All the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

The man was being questioned Friday evening. An intelligence official said the Nigerian passenger was being held and treated in an Ann Arbor, Michigan, hospital. One passenger was taken to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, hospital spokeswoman Tracy Justice said. She referred all inquiries to the FBI.

The trauma burn center at the hospital said it did not have Abdul Mutallab in its unit.

Flight 253 began in Nigeria and went through Amsterdam en route to Detroit, said US Representative Peter King, the ranking Republican member of the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

A spokeswoman for police at the Schiphol airport in Amsterdam declined comment about the case or about security procedures at the airport for Flight 253. Schiphol airport, one of Europe's busiest with a heavy load of transit passengers from Africa and Asia to North America, strictly enforces European security regulations including only allowing small amounts in hand luggage that must be placed inside clear plastic bags.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about the flight until it was on final approach to Detroit, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. That is when the pilot declared an emergency, she said. The flight landed at 12:51 p.m., she said.

Delta Air Lines Inc., which bought Northwest last year, said that "upon approach to Detroit, a passenger caused a disturbance." It said the passenger was subdued immediately and the crew asked that law enforcement officials meet the flight.

"The passenger was taken into custody and questioned by law enforcement authorities," the airline said.

Smith said while he was leaving the plane, he looked at where the man had been sitting and saw a pillow that seemed to have been burned. Melinda Dennis, who was seated in the front row of the plane, said the man involved was brought to the front row and seated near her. She said his legs appeared to be badly burned and his pants were cut off. She said he was taken off the plane handcuffed to a stretcher.

US President Barack Obama was notified of the incident and discussed it with security officials, the White House said. It said he is monitoring the situation and receiving regular updates from his vacation spot in Hawaii.

Federal officials said there would be heightened security for both domestic and international flights at airports across the country, but the intensified levels would likely be "layered," differing from location to location depending on alerts, security concerns and other factors.

Passengers can expect to see heightened screening, more bomb-sniffing dog and officer units and behavioral-detection specialists at some airports, but there will also be unspecified less visible precautions as well, officials said.

The FBI and the Homeland Security Department issued an intelligence note on November 20 about the threat picture for the holiday season, which was obtained by The Associated Press. At the time, officials said they had no specific information about attack plans by al-Qaida or other terrorist groups.

In 2003, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly marked Nigeria for liberation in a recording posted on the Internet, calling on Muslims in the oil-rich country to rise up against one of the "regimes who are slaves of America." But links to al-Qaida remained rare, though security forces claimed to break up such a linked terror cell in November 2007.

Security at Nigeria's two major international airports in the capital Abuja and in its megacity Lagos remain a point of concern. Uniformed federal police officers often focus their time on keeping hagglers and taxi drivers out. Bags quickly pass through X-ray scanners and those watching incoming passengers do not typically conduct tests for explosive residue on passengers' carry-on baggage nor shoes.

At the gate, airline workers often check passengers again with handheld metal detectors before they board their flight.

Delta, which is days away from obtaining a single operating certificate from the FAA to fully integrate itself and Northwest, has been hosting military personnel who have to travel over the holidays in a lounge at the airport.

A Northwest Airlines passenger landing in Detroit on Friday tried to blow up the flight but the explosive device failed, two US national security officials said.

The passenger, who was traveling on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam, was not identified. He was being questioned Friday evening, according to one of the officials, both of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing.

The motive of the Christmas Day attack was not immediately clear.

Authorities initially believed the passenger had set off firecrackers that caused some minor injuries.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is aware of an incident that occurred onboard Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit. The flight landed safely in Detroit at approximately 11:53 a.m.

All passengers have deplaned and out of an abundance of caution, the plane was moved to a remote area where the plane and all baggage are currently being rescreened. A passenger is in custody and passengers are being interviewed.

TSA will continue to monitor the situation and update this information as necessary.

...
I wonder what new security measures they will want to impose following this. Obviously all the usual security checks at the Aiprort (Schipol?)failed. No sherbert, no talc ,no matches no lighters. Wonder if the guy was heating a line of crack.

Full body scanners: A great way of irradiating everybody with X-Rays. This terrorist who was a "known terrorist" but not on any "no-fly list" seems to be a patsy to create outrage at Christmas.

Quote:

The Nigerian, named as Abdul Mudallad, had third-degree burns, said Peter King, a Congressman on the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. The suspect's name was in a database indicating "a significant terrorist connection" although it did not appear on a "no-fly" list, said Mr King.

While it is unclear how someone might have smuggled an explosive device aboard a Delta-Northwest flight, an airline security expert said one thing is clear: The incident should prompt a swift re-evaluation of passenger screening at airports throughout the world.

Douglas Laird, former security director for Northwest Airlines, said he has been advocating for years that airports switch from X-rays and metal detectors to full-body scans -- a move that would cost hundreds of millions of dollars more, but one that he insists would help prevent terrorist attempts like the one reported Friday.

"If you don't use a body scan, you don't know what the person has under his clothing," said Laird, who helmed Northwest security from 1989 to 1995. He is now president of Nevada-based Laird & Associates and advises airlines and governments about airport security issues.

"We've talked about this for 20 years," he said. "I hate to say it, but you get what you pay for."

X-ray equipment isn't detailed enough for screeners to get a good look at items hidden in luggage, Laird said, and metal detectors fail to pick up liquid or plastic explosives. The hindrance, he said, is financial: An X-ray machine can cost less than $50,000, he estimated, while body-scanning equipment would be more than $1 million.

"The American public has been adamant that they do not want body scans," he said. "I think that is crazy because if you want to keep dangerous items off of airplanes, you'll have to have body scans."

The flight was en route to Detroit from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam and the suspect allegedly carried with him a device that he later tried to use to start a fire or explosion. It is unclear what the suspect's device was, with descriptions ranging from a firecracker to a mixture of powder and liquid.

Laird said he knows Schiphol security "like the back of my hand" and that he's surprised someone apparently chose that airport to board with what federal officials described as explosive materials. The security in Schiphol is top-notch, he said, and meets all international standards. He doesn't know why Detroit was the selected destination, but he doesn't think the location -- or the date of Christmas Day -- was chosen at random.

"What really concerns me is that, from past experience, I imagine if this event happened, it's very likely there are others in the pipeline," he said. "My real fear is that there may be others."

Bruce Schneier, a security technologist and author, said it's too soon to tell if the suspect was a real threat or, as he put it, "an idiot."

"There are all these idiotic wannabe terrorists who claim terrorist connections," Schneier said Friday night. "Every nitwit can claim to be a member of al-Qaida. There's no membership card, no dues to pay to say you're officially in the club. It's hard to tell if there was anything real here."

He cited the case of Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber.

"We have to ask, was the plan at all feasible? Right now we don't know," said Schneier, who has written security-themed books such as "Beyond Fear" and runs an online blog at schneier.com.

"I've heard reports that his plan was to blow up the plane in the air, while another report said he tried after it landed. If it's after it landed, that's just dumb. You might as well blow up a bus," Schneier said.

Regardless of what details emerge, he urged people not to panic.

"Terrorism is a crime of the psyche, of the mind," he said. "If you refuse to be terrorized, you win."

This picture provided by J.P. Karas shows Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on the runway after arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport from Amsterdam on Friday, Dec. 25, 2009. A passenger aboard the plane set off firecrackers Friday, causing a commotion and some minor injuries, a Delta official said. Delta and Northwest have merged. (AP Photo/J.P. Karas)

A Nigerian man, claiming to be linked to al-Qaeda, allegedly tried to set off an incendiary device aboard a transatlantic airplane Friday as it descended toward Detroit's airport in what the White House called an attempted act of terrorism.

The man was quickly subdued after another passenger leapt on top of him, others on the plane said, and Northwest Airlines Flight 253 from Amsterdam landed safely around 1 p.m. Friday. The suspect was being treated at a hospital for burns he suffered while igniting the device, the Transportation Security Administration said.

The FBI is investigating the incident. President Obama, celebrating Christmas in Hawaii, was informed about it, a spokesman said, and he asked aides to ensure that all measures are in place to provide secure air travel.

Officials said they are not prepared to raise the terrorism alert level, currently at orange -- or the second-highest of five levels -- for domestic and international air travel. However, the Homeland Security Department said late Friday that passengers "may notice additional screening measures, put into place to ensure the safety of the traveling public on domestic and international flights."

The suspect is Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, a federal official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. ABC News and NBC News reported that Abdulmutallab, 23, attends University College London, where he studies engineering.

Although not on the TSA's "no-fly" list, Abdulmutallab's name appears to be included in the government's records of terrorism suspects, according to a preliminary review, authorities said.

Abdulmutallab has told federal investigators that he had ties to al-Qaeda and traveled to Yemen to collect the incendiary device and instructions on how to use it, according to a federal counterterrorism official briefed on the case. Authorities have yet to verify the claim, and they expect to conduct several more interviews before they determine whether he is credible, the official said.

Federal authorities have been told that Abdulmutallab allegedly had taped some material to his leg, then used a syringe to mix chemicals with the powder while on the airplane, one official said.
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But doing so "caused him to catch on fire," Richelle Keepman, who sat a few rows in front of Abdulmutallab, told WDIV-TV.

Another passenger on Flight 253, Syed Jafry of Holland, Mich., told the Detroit Free Press that he noticed a glow three rows ahead in the Airbus 330, then smelled smoke. The next moment, Jafri recounted, "a young man behind me jumped on" Abdulmutallab.

Jafry said there was a lengthy commotion, after which the passenger was restrained in a first-class seat as the plane continued its landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.

Michigan native Melinda Dennis, who was sitting in across the aisle from Abdulmutallab, told the Free Press that he "was burned very severely on his leg" but remained "very calm and didn't show any reaction to pain."

Officials described the device as incendiary rather than explosive, pending tests by forensics experts at the FBI. Incendiary devices generally deliver less of an impact than explosive devices. The remains of the device used are being sent to an FBI explosives lab in Quantico for analysis, federal law enforcement and airline security sources told CNN.

For many national security analysts, the Christmas Day incident called to mind the bizarre case of Richard C. Reid, a British citizen who trained at an al-Qaeda camp in Afghanistan. Reid attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his shoes on a flight from Paris to Miami in December 2001.

Reid was arrested in Boston, subsequently pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In August 2006, authorities in the United Kingdom disrupted a plot to blow up several transatlantic airliners using improvised liquid explosives. The discovery that al-Qaeda was developing new methods to bring down aircraft led to the banning of most liquids in carry-on baggage and prompted research into new detection technologies.

The Northwest incident also comes after a hectic six months in domestic terrorism cases, from the arrest of a Colorado shuttle bus driver, Najibullah Zazi, in an alleged plot to target New York with hydrogen-based chemical mixtures to smaller efforts by groups in Minnesota, Northern Virginia and North Carolina to allegedly translate radical beliefs into action on foreign soil.

Obama was alerted to Friday's incident between 9 and 9:30 a.m. in Hawaii, which is five hours behind the East Coast. After being informed by his military aide, the president convened a secure conference call with John O. Brennan, his counterterrorism adviser, and Denis McDonough, chief of staff at the National Security Council. He later received updates from each man, senior officials said.

Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.) announced late Friday night that the Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee, which he chairs, would "hold hearings in January to look in to this incident and related security matters."

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the ranking member on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the incident was "a disturbing reminder that the terrorist threat is still very real and that we must continue to be vigilant and alert."

Laird said he knows Schiphol security "like the back of my hand" and that he's surprised someone apparently chose that airport to board with what federal officials described as explosive materials. The security in Schiphol is top-notch, he said, and meets all international standards.

As reported, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport — one of the world’s most modern airports — has begun using a new body-scanning machines at security checkpoints. It is the first airport in the world to do so.

Starting today, the Security Scan at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol will be used for passenger security and Customs control procedures.

The Security Scan is a machine that produces an image of the body contours using millimetre wave reflection technology. The image will tell security staff immediately whether a passenger is carrying any prohibited items on his or her body.

The introduction of the Security Scan at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a joint initiative of the NCTb (National Counter-Terrorism Coordinator), Customs authorities and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

Security Scan different from Body Scan

The Security Scan should not be confused with the Body Scan used by the Dutch Border Police (Koninklijke Marechaussee) for so-called 100% security screening at the airport. Unlike the Security Scan, the Body Scan uses X-rays that pass through the body to trace swallowed items.

Used by Customs and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Customs will use the Security Scan to find out whether passengers are smuggling items (such as drugs, cash or diamonds) in or underneath their clothing. Schiphol uses the Security Scan to check departing passengers who, in accordance with the Civil Aviation Protection Act (Wet beveiliging burgerluchtvaart), must be screened before boarding.

The Security Scan is voluntary

From today, passengers will find a Security Scan at Pier H and another one near the Pier E gate. In the months to come, a total of 17 Security Scans will be installed in the Terminal. Subsequently it will be decided whether the Security Scan should be introduced for security control procedures on a larger scale. For the time being, passengers will have a choice between using the Security Scan or going through regular security procedures.

Faster and more client-friendly

Passengers will probably experience the Security Scan as a more client-friendly procedure, as it reduces the need for hand searches. The Security Scan is also expected to speed up the overall passenger screening process.

No health hazard, privacy guaranteed

Millimetre wave technology is entirely safe, as it involves the use of harmless millimetre waves that are reflected off the skin. Passengers are not exposed to any type of radiation, and their privacy is carefully guarded too. The Security staff member (image analyst) views the images in a closed space and is unable to see the person in the scan. As an extra privacy precaution, the passenger’s head is made invisible.

You will also recall the very strange case of the alleged suicide bomber Abdullah Asieri, who is reported to have avoided detection by two sets of airport security and Saudi palace security by smuggling a pound of high explosives, plus a detonator in his rectum.

Al Qaeda has developed a new tactic that allows suicide bombers to breach even the tightest security, as CBS News correspondent Sheila MacVicar reports.

Inside a Saudi palace, the scene was the bloody aftermath of an al Qaeda attack in August aimed at killing Prince Mohammed Bin Nayef, head of Saudi Arabia's counter terrorism operations.

To get his bomb into this room, Abdullah Asieri, one of Saudi Arabia's most wanted men, avoided detection by two sets of airport security including metal detectors and palace security. He spent 30 hours in the close company of the prince's own secret service agents - all without anyone suspecting a thing.

How did he do it?

Taking a trick from the narcotics trade - which has long smuggled drugs in body cavities - Asieri had a pound of high explosives, plus a detonator inserted in his rectum.

This was a meticulously planned operation with al Qaeda once again producing something new: this time, the Trojan bomber.

The blast left the prince lightly wounded - a failure as an assassination, but as an exercise in defeating security, it was perfect.

The bomber persuaded the prince he wanted to leave al Qaeda, setting a trap.

Al Qaeda has an animated movie showing the meeting between the bomber and the prince. Asieri says more senior al Qaeda figures want to surrender and convinces the prince to talk to them on a cell phone.

In the conversation recorded by al Qaeda, you hear a beep in the middle of two identical phrases that are repeated by the bomber and his handler.

Police are conducting searches at a mansion block in London in connection with the inquiry into an attempted act of terrorism on a US passenger plane.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian being held after the flight to Detroit, is thought to have been a student at University College London.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the UK would take "whatever action was necessary" to protect passengers.

UK airport operator BAA said searches on flights to the US would increase.

Meanwhile, a statement on British Airway's website said Washington has revised its security arrangements for all travellers to the US and they would only be allowed one piece of hand luggage.

A BA spokesman said the directive meant US-bound passengers on all airlines would be subjected to additional screening.

"We apologise to passengers for any delays to their journeys. Safety and security are our top priorities and will not be compromised."

Extra resources

Passengers on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 operated by Delta say a man was overpowered on Christmas Day after trying to ignite an explosive device as the Airbus 330 approached Detroit from Amsterdam.

According to reports in the US, Mr Abdulmutallab has links to al-Qaeda.

Mr Brown said he had been contact with Sir Paul Stephenson, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, because of the "serious potential threat".

He said: "The security of the public must always be our primary concern.

"We have been working closely with the US authorities investigating this incident since it happened."

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said the British authorities were informed of a possible connection to the UK on Thursday evening.

The MI5 and police teams assigned to the case are trying ascertain first of all whether the reported identification is correct, our correspondent said.

It is understood one of their key priorities will also be to check whether the arrested man has cropped up in the course of any other investigations.

BBC News correspondent Richard Slee said there was fairly low-key police activity at the last known address of Mr Abdulmutallab, a basement flat in a smart mansion block near Harley Street in central London.

Reporting from the scene, he said police forensic officers have been seen going into the building on Mansfield Street.

A blue English Heritage plaque states that philanthropist Sir Robert Mayer once lived there.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers were liaising with the US authorities.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: "We are in liaison with the US authorities.

"Searches are being carried out at addresses in central London."

A UK Department for Transport spokeswoman said: "In response to events in Detroit the US authorities have requested additional measures for US-bound flights.

"We are monitoring the situation and will make any assessments as necessary as this develops."_________________The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.

Where do all these experts on terrorism come from?
Ok experts what do we do next? The next guy intending to blow up an airliner with a firwork gets passed security by swallowing it in a plastic sleeve.
You can of course be highly suspect of anyone carrying senapods, anyone who farts needs to be watched carefully.
But, introduce a 24 hour delay from booking in to departure ensuring all bowels are emptied? Or, ensure all inflight visits to the the loo are supervised?_________________Truth Movement Clips: www.truthtotell.co.uk

Unt now, it appears our 'bomber' was allowed on aircraft without a passport! Did the CIA forget he needed one, as they can doubtless travel doc-free?

Kurt HaskellKurt Haskell's boarding pass for NWA Flight 253

A Michigan man who was aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 says he witnessed Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab trying to board the plane in Amsterdam without a passport.

Kurt Haskell of Newport, Mich., who posted an earlier comment about his experience, talked exclusively with MLive.com and confirmed he was on the flight by sending a picture of his boarding pass. He and his wife, Lori, were returning from a safari in Uganda when they boarded the NWA flight on Friday.

Kurt HaskellLori and Kurt Haskell

Haskell said he and his wife were sitting on the ground near their boarding gate in Amsterdam, which is when they saw Mutallab approach the gate with an unidentified man.

Kurt and Lori Haskell are attorneys with Haskell Law Firm in Taylor. Their expertise includes bankruptcy, family law and estate planning.

While Mutallab was poorly dressed, his friend was dressed in an expensive suit, Haskell said. He says the suited man asked ticket agents whether Mutallab could board without a passport. “The guy said, 'He's from Sudan and we do this all the time.'”

Mutallab is Nigerian. Haskell believes the man may have been trying to garner sympathy for Mutallab's lack of documents by portraying him as a Sudanese refugee.

The ticket agent referred Mutallab and his companion to her manager down the hall, and Haskell didn't see Mutallab again until after he allegedly tried to detonate an explosive on the plane.

Haskell said the flight was mostly unremarkable. That was until he heard a flight attendant say she smelled smoke, just after the pilot announced the plane would land in Detroit in 10 minutes. Haskell got out of his seat to view the brewing commotion.

“I stood up and walked a couple feet ahead to get a closer look, and that's when I saw the flames,” said Haskell, who sat about seven rows behind Mutallab. “It started to spread pretty quickly. It went up the wall, all the way to ceiling.”

Haskell, who described Mutallab as a diminutive man who looks like a teenager, said about 30 seconds passed between the first mention of smoke and when Mutallab was subdued by fellow passengers.

“He didn't fight back at all. This wasn't a big skirmish,” Haskell said. “A couple guys jumped on him and hauled him away.”
The ordeal has Haskell and his wife a little shaken. Flight attendants were screaming during the fire and the pilot sounded notably nervous when bringing the plane in for a landing, he said.

“Immediately, the pilot came on and said two words: emergency landing,” Haskell said. “And that was it. The plane sped up instead of slowing down. You could tell he floored it.”

As Mutallab was being led out of the plane in handcuffs, Haskell said he realized that was the same man he saw trying to board the plane in Amsterdam.

Passengers had to wait about 20 minutes before they were allowed to exit the plane. Haskell said he and other passengers waited about six hours to be interviewed by the FBI.

You may recall meeju reports claiming that Al Q's Soldiers of Yemen Brigades underwent a corporate re-branding in January 2009. After a rather sublime marketing campaign, the former Al Q in Yemen announced its merger with AlQ in Saudi Arabia to form Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP

Reports are now claiming that the explosive substance was PETN strapped to his leg or underpants.

Speculation whether the alleged syringe may have contained nitro-glycerine to be used as a detonator.

Alleged perp is reported to be the son of a wealthy Nigerian Muslim family, whose father was a Nigerian Minister and former Chairman with Nigerian bank, First National. His wife is reported to be a Yemen national.

The NYT reports that his father had phoned the American Embassy in Abuja in October expressing fears of his son's radicalisation in countries outside of Nigeria.

As you do.

This action is reported to have prompted the US authorities to add his name to a terrorism watch list but not to add his name to the no fly list.

A chap called Mike Rimmer is already all over the noos and is reported to have taught the leg bomber at the British International School in Lome, Togo and even remembers him supporting the Taleban in a class room discussion all those years ago.

Indicating perhaps that radicalisation was already taking place.

Good teachers never forget a radical student they say.

Alleged perp had allegedly visited Yemen for an "Islam Course" and has allegedly confessed to receiving training in Yemen and having the explosives supplied to him in Yemen.

"The senior Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, Representative Pete Hoekstra, said officials in the Obama administration and officials with law-enforcement information access told him the suspect may have had contact with Anwar Al Awlaki"

Which brings up the other recent event, allegedly linked to Yemen.

That of the Fort Hood shootings where the alleged perp is alleged to have been under the influence of New Mexico born, Yemeni based cleric, Anwar al Aulaqi or Awlaqi.

The authorities in Yemen reported it's latest air strikes against AQAP, targeting the home of said cleric the day before the Northwest Airlines event, on 24 December 2009, allegedly targeting a meeting of AQAP bods at the home of said cleric.

These air raids followed others on 17 December 2009 and were provided with United States fire power, intelligence and other support to the government reports the New York Times.

Read POTUS Obama authorised US air raids on AQAP in Yemen on Christmas Eve.

The reported target of Christmas Eve air strikes is disputed as the home of the cleric is claimed to be in a another place, miles away from the air strikes which claimed 34 lives.

IntelCenter, a Virginia-based organization which monitors Islamist militant messages called attention two days after the attack to a December 21, 2009 video recording from an al-Qaida operative in Yemen warning of a coming bombing in the U.S. IntelCenter's report said the al-Qaida member made that threat the week before the Christmas attack during a funeral for militants killed during an airstrike in Yemen two days earlier.

OBL is reported to have originated from a Yemeni family.

The alleged Anal Cavity Bomber, Abdullah Asieri is reported to have been a member of AQAP._________________The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.

Last edited by Mark Gobell on Thu Jul 08, 2010 8:41 am; edited 2 times in total

[This article pre-dates both the Christmas Eve US air strikes in Yemen and the Christmas Day "leg bomber" event in Detroit]

Obama ordered US air strikes on Yemen

By Barry Grey
21 December 2009

US President Barack Obama personally issued the order for US air strikes in Yemen last Thursday [Ed: 17 December 2009] which killed scores of civilians, including women and children.

US warplanes used cruise missiles against alleged Al Qaeda camps in the Abyan village of al Maajala, some 480 kilometers southeast of the capital Sana’a, and in the Arhab district, 60 kilometers to the northeast of Sana’a. The US strikes were apparently coordinated with the US-backed dictatorship of Yemen President Ali Abdallah Saleh, whose military forces attacked the bombed towns as well as a third village, resulting in the deaths of some 120 people, according to Yemen opposition spokesmen.

Local officials and witnesses in the area of Mahsad, the site of the heaviest US bombardment, put the number of those killed at more than 60 and said the dead were mostly civilians. They denied that the target was an al Qaeda stronghold.

Brian Ross, an investigative reporter for ABC News, first reported Friday night on the “ABC World News” program that US warplanes had been involved in the attacks. He said, “White House officials tell ABC News the orders for the US military to attack the suspected Al Qaeda sites in Yemen on Thursday came directly from the Oval Office.”

He continued: “The US military used cruise missiles in the attacks on two separate locations in Yemen. Pictures broadcast tonight on al-Jazeera showed dozens of bodies covered by sheets. Officials said some 35 suspected Al Qaeda figures had been killed. Opposition groups said dozens of civilians were also killed.”

ABC News cited White House officials as telling reporters that Obama contacted Yemen President Saleh after the blitz to “congratulate” him on the attacks.

US officials refused to comment Friday on the ABC News report, but they did not deny it. “We are not going to get into any details at this point,” one official said. He added that Yemen and the US “cooperate closely on counterterrorism.”

Bryan Whitman, a Pentagon spokesman, told the New York Times, which reported Saturday on the US role in the attacks, “Yemen should be congratulated for actions against Al Qaeda.”

Thousands of Yemenis took to the streets in southern Yemen Saturday to denounce the barbaric military operations. According to local sources, some 3,000 people in Dhal’e province and hundreds in Lahj and Abyan provinces marched in the protest, shouting anti-government slogans and demanding an investigation into the attacks.

The Joint Meeting Parties, an opposition coalition of six parties, condemned the targeting of civilians at a rally of 10,000 people in Taiz province, 260 kilometers south of Sana’a. A leading member of the coalition described the attacks as a “heinous crime.”

The Southern Movement, which seeks secession from the north, said the raids were an attack on the people of the south, not Al Qaeda. “This is genocide,” said Abbass al Asal, a leading politician in the Southern Movement. He said an air and ground attack in Abyan had killed 64 civilians, including 23 children and 17 women.

According to an Associated Press report on Saturday, residents of Abyan said there was no Al Qaeda training camp in the area and that the heavy assault had destroyed homes—a collection of mud brick houses, huts and tents—in the rural tribal area. A resident of the area, Ali Mohammed Mansour, said he helped bury the dead. He dismissed claims that the site was a training camp, pointing out that the community was only 100 meters from a major highway and two kilometers from an army base.

Mansour said that one of those killed, Mohammed Saleh al-Kazemi, a Saudi who had come to Yemen after fighting in Afghanistan and had been imprisoned for two years before being released in 2005, had lived in the village with his family since his release and was not in hiding.

Thursday’s attacks were part of a growing US military escalation in Yemen, which is being coordinated with the US-allied regime of President Saleh and the Saudi monarchy, which, in turn, is backed by Egypt. Until Thursday, large-scale US military violence was concentrated in the north of Yemen and directed against an insurgency by fighters from the Houthi tribe, which practices a brand of Shiite Islam distinct from that of Iran.

Map of the Middle East

Last week, Houthi fighters claimed that US fighter jets had launched 28 attacks on the northwestern province of Sa’ada, which is near the border with Saudi Arabia. Since August, when President Saleh announced the launching of “Operation Scorched Earth” to wipe out Houthi resistance, Saudi troops and planes have been attacking border regions in Yemen to the south of Saudi Arabia. Saleh, Riyadh and Cairo claim that the Houthis are being backed and supplied by Iran, which denies the charges.

The Obama administration conflates the various oppositional movements in Yemen with Al Qaeda, despite the fact that Al Qaeda is a Sunni movement and is deeply hostile to Shiites, such as the Houthis. The British Daily Telegraph reported December 13, citing unnamed American officials, that the US had sent Special Forces troops to Yemen to train the country’s army. The newspaper quoted a US military official as saying, “Yemen is becoming a reserve base for Al Qaeda’s activities in Pakistan and Afghanistan.”

This is clear signal that Washington is extending the war in Afghanistan and Pakistan to Yemen.

Saudi fighter jets are reportedly using phosphorus bombs against Houthi fighters. On December 13, Houthi sources said that Saudi forces had launched a major cross-border strike, leaving at least 70 civilians dead and more than 100 others injured in the northern district of Razeh.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have issued warnings on the dire conditions of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis who have been displaced by the combined government and Saudi assault on the north. UNCHR estimates that up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa’ada and take refuge in overcrowded camps that have insufficient food and water. Children have died as a result of the conditions in the camps.

The US air strikes in Yemen last Thursday came on the same day that Washington carried out a massive drone attack in Pakistan’s North Waziristan province that pummeled a village, killing at least 17 people.

These developments, coinciding with the arrival of the first of the 30,000 additional troops Obama has dispatched to Afghanistan, demonstrate that the Obama administration is carrying out a policy of military aggression and colonial conquest surpassing even that of the Bush administration. They provide an indication of expanding death and destruction that were only hinted at in Obama’s December 1 speech at West Point, in which he announced his escalation of the war in Afghanistan, and suggested more directly in his December 10 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech.

In his West Point speech, Obama declared, “The struggle against violent extremism will not be finished quickly,” adding that it “extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan.” He went on to speak of “disorderly regions and diffuse enemies” and mentioned by name Somalia and Yemen.

His Nobel speech was a bellicose brief for imperialist war and neo-colonialism. Obama touted the virtues of pre-emptive war and singled out a series of potential targets of US military aggression, including Iran, Sudan, Congo, Zimbabwe and Myanmar.

As with US imperialism’s interventions in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, the escalating US aggression in Yemen has nothing to do with defeating Al Qaeda or protecting the American people from terrorism. It is motivated by the drive of the American ruling elite to establish hegemony in the oil-rich regions of the Middle East and Central Asia and gain US control over strategically critical pipeline and maritime routes.

Yemen occupies a crucial geographical position, which made it a battleground between the US and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. As the Associated Press noted in a report on last Thursday’s air strikes, “Yemen is located on a strategic maritime crossroad at the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the access point to the Suez Canal—and across the Gulf is Somalia, an even more tumultuous nation…”

The US has already carried out military strikes on Somalia and used Ethiopia to conduct a proxy war and occupation of the country.

In its drive to establish American military and political control over Yemen, the US is inflaming tensions throughout the region—particularly between Saudi Arabia and Egypt on one side, and Iran on the other.

The US military intervention around the Gulf of Aden, both covert and overt, must be taken as a warning of the catastrophic implications, both for the targeted populations and for the American people, of US imperialism’s global designs. It is up to the American and international working class to put a stop to Washington’s neo-colonial strategy.

This requires a direct struggle against the Obama administration. Little more than a year after his election as the candidate of “change” and “hope,” Obama stands exposed as a war criminal and instrument of Wall Street and the US military-intelligence apparatus. To fight militarism, the working class must build an independent socialist movement in opposition to Obama, the Democratic Party and the two-party system, and capitalism, which is the source of oppression and war.

Of course, the interpretation that the alleged leg bomber event is in anyway of use as a a fall back propagandist justification for the recent US carnage from the skies as part of Operation Scorched Earth in Yemen, would be entirely conspiratorial and therefore complete nonsense._________________The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.

AMSTELVEEN, Netherlands -- ICTS International N.V. (ICTSF.OB), a leading provider of advanced security services, is pleased to report its wholly owned subsidiary I-SEC Netherlands has been awarded a five year contract to provide passenger screening services (Check Point) to Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. This contract, which is subject to completion of European tender legal and contractual process, will commence in February 2008 and replaces an existing contract that the Company has with a partner. The partnership will end when the new contract is in place. In order to support this contract I-SEC will add five hundred to six hundred agents to its employee count. It is anticipated that I-SEC will process some 20,000 passenger at these check points on a daily basis.

Mr. Menachem Atzmon, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ICTS stated that, "this contract is a major win for I-SEC and is evidence to the trust that Schiphol International airport management puts in I-SEC".

About ICTS International N.V.

ICTS specializes in the development and implementation of innovative security concepts and solutions designed to meet the needs of a variety of industries, mainly including transportation (aviation, railroad and other means of public transportation), border control and sensitive facilities. ICTS International benefits from over two decades of expertise and international operational experience in transportation security, with a particular emphasis on high-risk environments, passenger processing transactions and the integration of security services to provide a comprehensive security solution. It also offers a wide variety of customized training programs, tailored procedures and a wide range of security consulting services. The company has developed and implemented unique technological solutions, based on its comprehensive approach to security, designed to enhance the level of security while accelerating the security check process.

ICTS - International Consultants on Targeted Security - has long been a name synonymous with Aviation Security. The world leader in its field, ICTS - founded in 1982 - has been at the forefront of the global Aviation Sector for over two decades, building an unrivalled reputation for professional integrity, service quality, innovation and commercial ethos.

ICTS Europe was incorporated in 2000 and has since developed a global customer base, expanding its operations across Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. By the end of 2007, ICTS Europe comprised 25 operating subsidiaries in 22 countries around the world, employing some 11,000 staff.

Fast-growing and dynamic, with cutting-edge technological solutions to complement a wide range of services, ICTS attributes its continuing success to uncompromising commitment to serving our clients, with respect to their resources and identification with their objectives. This is achieved through effective management of our most important resource - our employees - for whom we aim to provide a safe, fair, supportive and rewarding environment where they can grow and fulfil their potential.

Over the years, ICTS Europe developed and introduced professional concepts and service solutions that later became industry benchmarks. Innovative, enthusiastic and the leading force in the industry, ICTS Europe is facing – with confidence and success - the professional, technological, commercial and security challenges of the global aviation sector.

- this just happens to be exactly where the Number 30 bus blew up on July 7th. Just happens to be facing the Woburn hotel in Tavistock Square, where the original Zionist movement is said to have started - way back, before WW1.

ICTS also has security contracts at Glasgow Airport, among others, as does it's wholly owned subsidiary I-Sec UK Ltd.

- this just happens to be exactly where the Number 30 bus blew up on July 7th. Just happens to be facing the Woburn hotel in Tavistock Square, where the original Zionist movement is said to have started - way back, before WW1.

The plot thickens!_________________'And he (the devil) said to him: To thee will I give all this power, and the glory of them; for to me they are delivered, and to whom I will, I give them'. Luke IV 5-7.

No bonus prizes for guessing who was in charge of passenger screening at Charles de Gaulle airport, Paris when the "shoe bomber" Richard Reid boarded Flight AA63 with his trainers stuffed full of TATP either.

Searching the BBC and other msm shop-fronts for "ICTS" is informative as it reveals the intense coverage that they have not given to this company. Which is a little strange really, given it's obvious poor track record for preventing terrorists boarding passenger jets.

Imagine the media attention if ICTS with it's abysmal track record, was run by a bunch of zealots with different national or quasi religious affiliations, say, Iran or Iraq for example instead of Israel:

Here's a rare piece from the Guardian on the "shoe bomber" and the intense security provided by ICTS at Paris on that fateful day:

Consider that the "shoe bomber" event occurred after 9/11 on 21 December 2001, so I'm guessing, systems were still blinking a very hot shade of red . . .

The Guardian wrote:

The making of a human timebomb

Sunday 30 December 2001

...

On 14 December he [Richard Reid - The Shoe Bomber] returned to the Netherlands and bought a pair of black trainers. At some stage in the next week each shoe was packed with more than three and a half ounces (100 grams) of plastic explosive. This was mixed with petroleum jelly to form a putty-like substance, and put into the hollowed-out soles. The explosive TATP is a favourite of Palestinian suicide bombers who call it the 'Mother of Satan' because of its instability and power. Cord filled with gunpowder was then worked into the shoes as a fuse, which snaked up past Reid's ankles.

By 21 December Reid was primed and ready to kill. But mystery remains as to where he stayed in the five days before his attack. He left Amsterdam for Paris on 16 December, obtaining more than £1,000 in cash to buy his Paris-Antigua air ticket on 17 December. He is believed to have spent time in the area around the Gare du Nord, possibly staying in an al-Qaeda safe house. There is even significance about the date: 21 December is the thirteenth anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing.

But Reid was to be denied martyrdom. As he passed through security at Charles de Gaulle, an employee of ICTS, the private firm policing the airport, was suspicious. His profile - a lone traveller, who bought his ticket in cash and had no baggage - raised an automatic red flag. His knapsack contained only a Koran, a Walkman with religious tapes and a magazine. Reid claimed he was visiting relatives. He explained his lack of luggage by saying his family had ample clothes for him. The interrogation took so long he missed his flight. He stayed in a hotel at the airline's expense. There had been no body search and no sniffer dogs.

The next morning Reid turned up two hours early for the 10.40 flight. This time security staff - recognising him from the previous day - waved him through.

A few hours later, as the plane cruised at more than 30,000ft, Reid put his plan into action. He waited until the woman passenger next to him went to the toilet. He took out a match, lit it and held it to the detonator cords trailing out of his shoes. He planned to then place his foot against the fuselage, creating a devastating explosion that would blow a hole the size of a tractor wheel in the plane.

...

Not only was Reid allowed on board, but it was not his first attempt. He had also evaded security when flying to Israel earlier this year, when applying for a new passport in Belgium with pages torn from his old one, and even when conversations he held with Moussaoui were picked up by MI5 late last year.

Leaving aside The Guardian's apparent interest in date related nonsense, it might strike one as a tad odd that ICTS and it's subsidiaries seem to be so inept at doing the job they are so widely contracted to do.

KAILUA, Hawaii (Reuters) - A wing of al Qaeda claimed responsibility on Monday for a failed Christmas Day attack on a U.S.-bound passenger plane, and President Barack Obama vowed to bring "every element" of U.S. power against those who threaten Americans' safety.

In a statement posted on Islamist websites, the group Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula said the attempt was to avenge U.S. attacks on its members in Yemen.

The group said it had provided the Nigerian suspect in the failed airliner bombing with a "technically advanced device" but that it did not detonate because of a technical fault.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, is charged with smuggling explosives on board and attempting to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight as it approached Detroit from Amsterdam on December 25 with almost 300 people on board.

Speaking during a vacation in Hawaii, Obama said, "We will not rest until we find all who were involved and hold them accountable."

"We will continue to use every element of our national power to disrupt, to dismantle and defeat the violent extremists who threaten us, whether they are from Afghanistan or Pakistan, Yemen or Somalia, or anywhere where they are plotting attacks against the U.S. homeland," Obama added.

Abdulmutallab, who had a valid U.S. visa issued before he was placed on a broad U.S. list of possible security threats, has told investigators that al Qaeda operatives in Yemen gave him an explosive device and taught him how to detonate it, officials said over the weekend.

ABC News broadcast what it described as U.S. government photos of the bomb Abdulmutallab is accused of smuggling aboard the flight in his underwear.

The images showed the slightly burned underwear with a packet of the high-explosive chemical PETN sewn into the crotch and a plastic syringe detonator, ABC said.

AL QAEDA IN YEMEN

The incident has put a spotlight on the growing prominence of al Qaeda in Yemen, which the United States and Saudi Arabia fear will exploit instability in Yemen to stage attacks in the Saudi kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter, and beyond.

The United States quietly has been supplying military equipment, intelligence and training to Yemeni forces, who have raided suspected al Qaeda hide-outs this month, U.S. defense and counterterrorism officials said.

In a worrisome development for U.S. security, officials have discovered that Abdulmutallab's father warned them of his son's growing radicalism, but the information failed to prevent his traveling to the United States on a two-year visa issued June 16, 2008.

Obama said that as a result of this oversight, he had ordered a thorough review of the screening process.

"We need to determine just how the suspect was able to bring dangerous explosives aboard an aircraft and what additional steps we can take to thwart future attacks," Obama said.

Obama is under pressure from opposition Republicans who have been critical of his response to the Christmas Day scare and have questioned whether his administration is doing enough to contain security threats.

His administration admitted on Monday that the incident represented a failure of air security.

'FAILED MISERABLY'

Asked on NBC's "Today" show if the security system "failed miserably," U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano replied, "It did."

On Sunday, Napolitano said the system to protect air travel worked, but in appearances on news shows on Monday she said she had meant that the response to alert other flights and airports and impose immediate new safety procedures had been effective.

Abdulmutallab was overpowered by passengers and crew on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 after setting alight an explosive device. He was treated for burns and is in federal prison awaiting trial.

Airline stocks fell on Monday as the United States tightened airline security after the incident. AMR Corp, the parent of American Airlines, lost 4.8 percent to $7.75. Shares of Delta, the parent of Northwest, were down 4.1 percent to $11.29.

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration did not give details of its new security measures. But air travelers described new restrictions on flights headed for the United States, including additional preflight screening, and -- an hour before landing -- a ban on movement around the cabin and on having items such as blankets on passengers' laps.

The agency has since given pilots and flight crews discretion to ease these in-flight restrictions, a source familiar with the TSA rules said on Monday.

Dutch airport authorities said they planned to make new, more sensitive passenger scanners mandatory after Abdulmutallab allegedly smuggled the explosives in his underwear through Schiphol Airport security._________________The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.

The underwear with the explosive worn by alleged Northwest 253 bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is shown in this undated photo.
(ABC News)

A singed pair of underwear with a packet of powder sewn into the crotch, seen in government photos obtained exclusively by ABC News, is all that remains of al Qaeda's attempt to down an American passenger plane over Detroit.

As seen in these photos, the alleged bomb consisted of a packet of powder sewn into the briefs of Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian. Al Qaeda took credit Monday for the attempted bombing, boasted of its ability to overcome U.S. intelligence and airport security, and promised new attacks.

The first photo, to the left, shows the slightly charred and singed underpants with the bomb packet still in place. All photos include a ruler to provide scale.

UNDERWEAR WITH EXPLOSIVE PACKET

In the second photo (below), the packet of actual explosive powder has been removed from the underpants and displayed separately.

UNDERWEAR AND EXPLOSIVE PACKET

It is a six-inch long packet of the high explosive chemical called PETN, less than a half cup in volume, weighing about 80 grams.

A government test with 50 grams of PETN blew a hole in the side of an airliner. That was the amount in the bomb carried by the so-called shoe bomber Richard Reid over Christmas 2001.

Acid in Syringe Was Detonator

The packet of PETN explosive powder is shown separately here.

PETN PACKAGE

Tragedy was averted only because the detonator, acid in a syringe, did not work.

"It's very clear it came very, very close," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R.-Mich., ranking minority member of the House Intelligence Committee. "The explosive device went off, but it became an incendiary device instead of an explosive device, which is probably what saved that airplane.

Comment:

So, not drugs then. Glad that's been cleared up.

This evidence won't prejudice his trial in any way. US justice demands it._________________The Medium is the Massage - Marshall McLuhan.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, who is charged with attempting to destroy the Northwest Airlines Flight 253, was described as "well mannered, quietly spoken, polite and able" by his former tutors at the University College London (UCL).

A statement from the university's Department of Mechanical Engineering said Mr Abdulmutallab "never gave his tutors any cause for concern" while studying for an engineering degree from 2005 to 2008.

A UCL spokesman also said Abdulmutallab was president of the Islamic society at the institution between 2006 and 2007.

Home Secretary Alan Johnson said it was unlikely Abdulmutallab would have been acting alone and revealed the 23-year-old had been banned from entering Britain and was placed on a "watch list" earlier this year.

The younger Muttallab lives in a £4 million pounds apartment in Central London, although he is only a student. The apartment, Flat 16, no 2 Mansfield Street in London, W1G9NE is registered to a US company and has been raided by UK security agents today.

Thank you for your time and expressing interest in Landair Investments, LLC. Our company is focused on what matters most to the General Aviation enthusiast today. Over the past 40 years, our nation's public-use airports have declined at a rate of one airport every eight days on average. These unfortunate losses were and continue to be entirely preventable.

Local communties and the general population have lost sight of the every day benefits their local airports provide. Many forces have aligned which provide a hostile environment for this precious community and national resource. It is our hope and goal here at LandAir Investments to combat and reverse the alarming trend of airport misinformation, abuse, and closure through the realignment of these resources in accord with their nature.

The pressures of urban and suburban sprawl have wreaked havoc on these small airports due to land value increases, poor city/county planning, home owner complaints about airport noise, airport owner neglect of airports and fraudulent abuse of federal funding followed by inappropriate federal agency regulation execution, just to name a few. This need not be the case.

I encourage you to contact us whenever you or someone you know is aware of an airport up for sale, facing closure actions, or is looking for investment partners to help revitalize and prevent future closure actions. We have a wide range of aviation experience to draw from and look forward to providing you with the assistance you need.

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